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AGRICULTURAL SERIES N9 4 

UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMIHISTR 




AGRICULTURAL SERIES N« 

mm STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATIOIT 



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MINNESOTA 



FORE 

St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Minnesota offers unusual opportunities for all 
persons seeking farm homes, no matter what his 
tastes or abilities. The man with plenty of capital 
can find highly improved farms and the man with 
very limited means can find cheap land. There are 
opportunities for the man who wants to do diver- 
sified farming, as well as for the man who wishes to 
specialize in small grains, potatoes, dairying, garden- 
ing, or in raising beef cattle, sheep, hogs, or chickens. 

Minnesota has a variety of soils and kinds of land. 
There are gently rolling lands with streams and 
wood-lots and also level prairiees with rich clay 
loam suitable for general farming, sandy soils suit- 
able for the raising of potatoes and similar products, 
and the rich cut-over lands of Northeastern Minne- 
sota, especially suited for truck gardening and 
dairying. 

There is no lack of educational opportunities. 
The State's school system is among the best and the 
large school fund insures the permanency of the 
State's support of public schools. Minnesota has 
taken an advanced position in the establishment of 
consolidated rural schools, and in promoting agri- 
cultural and vocational training. 

The railroads bring markets within a few miles of 
every farm home, and the flour mills and stock yards 
of the Twin Cities, and the great inland port at 
Duluth, furnish splendid terminal markets. The 
highways of Mirmesota are already ahead of those 
of many other states and the trunk highway system 
to be voted on next year will, if adopted, furnish a 
network of permanent, hard surfaced highways 
touching almost every community in the State. 

Minnesota has become known as the sure-crop 
state. Total crop failures have been limited to such 
small areas as to be practically negligible. 




Governor. 



St. Paul, Minnesota. 
This booklet has been prepared for the purpose of 
giving, in as brief and concise a form as possible, a 
survey of the agricultural possibilities and oppor- 
tunities for farm-home building in Minnesota. A 
consistent attempt has been made to avoid mean- 
ingless words of glowing enthusiasm and to make 
only accvirate, substantial statements of facts upon" 



WORD 5,•^^^^^^ 

which the prospective settler may base a sound 
judgment as to the adaptability of Minnesota's con- 
ditions to his own needs and desires. The data 
upon which this information is based were found 
partly in the official statistics of the state and federal 
bureaus, and partly in the experience and observa- 
tion of the writers of the different parts of the book- 
let, who were chosen for the service because of their 
long experience in agricultural development work 
in Minnesota. 

The fundamental reason why there are such 
undeveloped agricultural resources in Minnesota is 
the fact that until comparatively recently there 
were ample areas of untilled prairie lands available 
for settlement. These prairie lands needed only 
to be cut up with the breaking plow to become imme- 
diately tillable. Much of Minnesota's undeveloped 
lands were, originally, covered by the "Big Woods," 
or by reason of inadequate drainage were incapable 
of immediate utilization as farm lands. Now, how- 
ever, the forests have been removed by the lumber- 
men, swamps have been drained, railroads and roads 
have been built, and vast areas of fertile land lie open 
to settlement. It should be clearly understood, 
however, that these are not generally prairie lands, 
and that the problems of settlement and development 
are different from those of the open plains of the 
great prairie regions. 

Hence it is not only to point out the possibilities 
and opportunities which are now available in Minne- 
sota, but also to indicate briefly the methods by 
which the development of this new land can be 
undertaken with safety and profit that this booklet 
has been prepared. 

The new settler will find many agencies available 
to give him assistance and advice in meeting his 
problems. The Department of Agriculture of the 
University of Minnesota, with its experiment sta- 
tions and agricultural extension work, is ready to 
offer every possible assistance to farmers and home- 
makers. Several state departments, or commis- 
sions, are ready to assist with special problems of 
land settlement, rural finance, marketing of agri- 
cultural products, regulation of sale of foods, feeds, 
fertilizers, etc. In fact, Minnesota is well organized 
to afford help to new settlers in every possible way. 







of 

2i 



Dean of the Department of Agriculture, 

University of Minnesota, 

St. Paul, Minn. 



MINNESOTA 




,«|«*'m'^'i 





Minnesota farmers profit by the combination of dairy, cattle and grain 



Minnesota 



All the states in the Union offer opportunities and 
possibilities for agriculture. Minnesota is espec- 
ially fortunate in this regard. It has a strategic 
location, a dependable climate, fertile soils, abundant 
rainfall, pure water, good markets, progressive men 
and women — everything needed, in fact, for a pros- 
perous, permanent farm life. In addition, its mines, 
its forests, its manufactures, its railroads, its other 
resources are developing, and each is adding to the 
State's wealth and prosperity. 

Old Jonathan Carver, writing more than 140 years 
ago, told of a region where trees bend under the 
weight of fruit, where meadows are green and luxu- 
riant, where the waters teem with celery and wild 
rice, where the earth is stored with useful roots and 
is carpeted with beautiful wild flowers, where the 
hills rise boldly and are crowned with oak and 
maple. He also told of the wild duck, the swan, the 
brant, the goose, and the partridge. The region of 
which he wrote was Minnesota, and its beauty and 
fertility have reacted on its people, who enjoy their 



work in the fields during the warm summer and 
glory in the chill, bright sun of winter. In Minne- 
sota there are beautiful rivers and streams, thou- 
sands of lakes and still to-day forests not yet w^Uy 
sacrificed to American haste and waste. -^^ 

The agricultural history of Minnesota began with 
the story of the wheat field, and as the wheat fields 
pushed on further west diversified farming crept in, 
manufacturing sprang up, the liunber interests 
invaded the forests, and mining followed, until 
to-day every portion of the State is breathing activ- 
ity and growing in wealth. 

To Minnesota has been given the title "The 
Bread and Butter State," and justly so. This title 
alone speaks for the agricultural success of the State. 
The home seeker, hungry for a farm home, whether 
his means be large or small, need look no farther. 
There are yet in the older settled portions of the 
State, farms which have not reached a prohibitive 
price, but are priced according to actual returns in 
dollars and cents on the investment. There are yet 



M I NNESO T A 




More clover — more crops — more cash for your bank account 



prairie lands in the northwestern part of the State 
awaiting the plow. There are partly improved lands 
in the region left some time ago by the lumbermen, 
and in the more recently cut-over timber districts 
are rich, fertile lands that can be bought by the man 
of limited means and developed into farms, which, 
when developed, will equal in value those already 
established in the well settled districts. 

The home seeker is likely to think of the northern 
part of the State as a desolate waste, or a region of 
dense forests, where he must pioneer as did his father 
and grandfather when they opened up their farms. 
The home seeker's wife naturally shrinks when she 
thinks of the hardships undergone by the early 
settlers. But no such pioneering is necessary. 
Good land is available on roads near good towns 
with good schools, in good communities, and with 
good neighbors whose interests are mutual. 

Minnesota has all these things to offer the new 
home seeker, and it is the purpose of this booklet to 
present conditions as they exist to-day so that every 
home seeker will fully understand the situation and 
be able to choose for himself. 

The geographical location of Minnesota is com- 
manding. Except on the south and southwest its 
boundaries are natural. On the east is Lake Supe- 
rior, the largest of the Great Lakes, the St. Croix and 
the Mississippi rivers. On the north is Canada 
separated by the Rainy River, chains of beautiful 



lakes, and lesser rivers and streams, and on the 
west is the Red River of the North. The entire 
area of the State is within the Atlantic watershed, 
the drainage reaching the ocean in three distinct 
channels. The largest area is drained through the 
Mississippi River, the northwest portion through 
the Red River of the North, into Hudson Bay, and 
the remainder is tributary to Lake Superior. 

Among the states Minnesota ranks thirteenth in 
land area and nineteenth in population. Its total 
area is nearly 54,000,000 acres, or more than 84,000 
square miles. Of this over 3,500,000 acres is water 
area, 10,000 lakes lying within the State's borders 
These lakes varj' in size from small ponds to larger 
bodies of water many square miles in extent, such 
as Red, Mille Lacs, and Leech lakes. 

The total population of Minnesota is now over 
2,300,000. Of the total land area only a little more 
than one-half is devoted to farming at the present 
time, and the value of this farm property is about 
$2,500,000,000, not counting the great cities of 
St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth. Fifty per cent 
of the inhabitants of Minnesota live on farms; of 
these nearly 80 per cent own their own farm homes. 
In other words, the farmers of this State are home 
owners and community builders. 

There are nearly 9.000 miles of railroad in the 
State leading directly into the great markets of 
St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth, the gateways and 



M INNESOT A 




The annual com crop of the State is about one hundred milliorAushels 



clearing houses for the Northwest. 

The railroads have all been built with a view to 
the future agricultural development of the State, and 
the home seeker can locate within easy hauling dis- 
tance of a shipping point and on, or close to, well 
constructed highways. Good roads speW dollars to 
the farmer when he is marketing his farm products, 
and the network of good highways constructed 
under state and county supervision furnishes evi- 
dence of Minnesota's realization that the public 
road is, and will be for generations to come, the basic 
communicating medium of social and business life. 

The rural free delivery and rural telephone lines 
naturally follow the construction of these highways, 
and we find that in proportion to the rural popu- 
lation there are now as many rural delivery routes 
in Minnesota as in Iowa. 

Duluth and Superior, at the head of the Lakes, 
offer direct water connection with the Atlantic sea- 
board and the European markets. St. Paul, Minne- 
apolis, and Duluth with the greatest grain storage 
capacity in the world await the golden harvest 
every year. The South St. Paul live stock market 
takes the shipments of Minnesota cattle, sheep, and 
swine, affording the Minnesota farmer a market 
without the necessity of long hauls and unloading 
in transit. 

Minnesota has long been known as a great wheat- 
producing state, but in recent years the corn acreage 



has increased immensely. This crop now ranks 
second and in the yield per acre is making the other 
great corn states look to their laurels. 

Other leading crops are oats, barley, rye, flaxseed, 
hay, and potatoes. 

Crop Production for 1918 

Wheat..., 79,710.000 bushels 

Com I lo.ooo.ooo 

Oats 134.372,000- '* 

Barley 43,000,000 " 

Rye 8.700,000 

Potatoes 32,700,000 ** 

Flax 3,120,000 

Hay 2.590,000 tons 

As a dairy state Minnesota is well toward the top, 
and her dairy cows were valued at the end of 1918 
at $93,000,000. The dairy cow has made Minne- 
sota one of the leading butter state of the Union, the 
annual output of butter being valued at $50,000,000. 
Other cattle are estimated as worth more than 
$48,000,000. 

The Minnesota farmer being a farm owner has 
naturally developed the community spirit and this 
is reflected in the number of cooperative creameries, 
cooperative elevators, live stock shipping associa- 
tions, and other cooperative enterprises. 

The little old-fashioned, one-room schoolhouse is 
gradually disappearing, and the consolidated graded 
schools, paying special attention to agriculture, 
manual arts, and the practical household arts, are 
increasing. This is especially true of the northern 
districts, and the many free busses carrying the 



MINNESOTA 






,i^^ 



Oats rank second as a small grain crop in the State 



children to these schools are evidence of the keen 
interest taken in securing educational benefits for 
the young* In over 80 per cent of rural schools 
textbooks are free. 

All of the things enumerated mean much to the 
new home §eeker. Markets alone are as important 
as the soil. Location means practically as much. 
In making Minnesota your future home you are not 
severing home ties or breaking connection with your 
old friends and neighbors, but simply moving "next 
door" into a state which can fulfill all conditions 
required by the home seeker to assure his success. 
Land can be purchase at a price that will fit the 
pocketbook of the poor man, as well as meet the 
requirements of the man of means. 

GENERAL SOIL AREAS 

The types of Minnesota soil vary from heavy clay 
to light sandy and peat soil. The peat soils are 
found most generally in Northern Minnesota, but as 
yet they have been but slightly developed. The 
shallower formations, where the peat is two feet or 
less in depth and underlaid by good clay soil, are 
being farmed successfully in many places. The 
deeper peat soils are still of uncertain value and 
should be avoided by the new settler. 

Minnesota soils are mostly glacial drift, Houston 
County, the extreme southeast county, being the 



only exception. Starting at this corner of the State 
and traveling to the west over into the western part 
of Fillmore and Winona counties, and as far over as 
Mower, Dodge, and Goodhue counties, the major 
part of the soil is clay loam with clay subsoil, with 
gently rolling topography and scattered prairies 
and small hardwood timber sections. Further west, 
over into Freeborn, Steel, Waseca, and as far north- 
west as Meeker and part of Wright and Hennepin 
counties, is an area which sepresents a transition 
between the clay loam to the southeast and the 
prairie loam to the southwest. In this section, a 
part is prairie and a part is timber, and a portion is 
very rolling. 'D|e soil is generally a good black 
loam; some paw? clayey and sandy, with usually a 
clay subsoil. ? 

If one woiild draw a line through Albert Lea, 
Mankato, Hutchinson, and Willmar, and as far 
northwest as the intersection of Stevens and Douglas 
counties, he would cut off the southwestern part, 
which is, perhaps, the most uniform of any section 
of the State. It is a broad, level prairie, drained by 
the Minnesota, Des Moines, and Rock rivers; an 
excellent farming country, adapted to all the crops 
of the North Central States. The soil is generally a 
black loam, commonly called the "prairie loam "of 
the State, and there is usually a clay subsoil. In 
Stearns, Pope, Douglas, and part of Ottertail and 
Todd counties lies a district of black sandy loam, 



M IN NESOT A 




Pasturing hogs means cheap pork production 



more sandy than the prairie loam of the southwest. 
Some of this territory is quite rolling, and there is 
quite a variation in soil types. The percentage of 
sand increases going north into Wadena, Becker, and 
part of Cass counties. On the average, this is a 
good sandy loam. East of the Mississippi River is 
an area including parts of Isanti, Anoka, Sher- 
bourne, Benton, and Morrison counties, which is, 
perhaps, more sandy than any other in the State. 
However, this sandy loam is spotted with farms of 
clay and clay loam. Owing to the glacial formation 
of the soils of this State, it is natural that they would 
not be of great uniformity. In fact, in every soil 
area there are several types. 

Going northeast of this area -into Kanabec, Pine, 
and Chisago, and part of Aitkin and Carlton coun- 
ties, is also found the gray sandy loam, sometimes 
with sand and sometimes with clay subsoil. There 
are more areas of clay and clay loam soils in this 
locality than nearer the Mississippi River. North- 
ern Aitkin, parts of St. Louis and Itasca, northern 
Cass and southern Beltrami counties represent still 
another area which is characterized by a gray sandy 
loam. Swamps are frequent; and rocks, generally 
hard heads, are scattered over many areas. There 
are many good tracts of land and many good sized 
areas of clay loam soil. 



The northeastern corner of the State, including 
Cook and part of Lake counties, represents a hilly 
and swampy territory, with a large portion covered 
with moraines and many rocks. There are, how- 
ever, localities which have good agricultural lands. 
Along the lake shore there is more clay; and as the 
elevation increases back from the lake, the land 
becomes more rocky. There are many small lakes 
made by moranic enclosures. Around Duluth is 
an area which extends back some miles from the 
lake, and which consists mainly of red clay loam 
interspersed with slightly sandy areas, and with 
scattering swamps. Much of this land is more or 
less rocky. 

In the northwestern corner, along the Red River 
of the North, lies a valley which, from the stand- 
point of soils, is known practically all over the world. 
This is the Red River Valley, which ages ago was 
covered by a glacial lake known as Lake Agassiz. 
For many years water stood over this section and 
deposited material of an alluvial nature, which pro- 
duced the rich soil of this fertile region. This 
valley includes Wilkin, Clay, Norman, Polk, Mar- 
shall, Red Lake, Pennington, Kittson, and Roseau 
counties. There is some gumbo and a little alkali 
soil in this area. 



MINNESOTA 




A typical scene in the Red River Valley — one of the most fertile grain producing sections of the State 



FARMING SECTIONS OF MINNESOTA 

Minnesota may roughly be divided into four great 
areas: Southern Minnesota, Central Minnesota, the 
Red River Valley, and Northeastern Minnesota. 

Southern Minnesota is a belt from 75 to 100 
miles wide lying next to the Iowa border. Most of 
the country south of St. Paul and Minneapolis is 
usually thought of as Southern Minnesota. This is 
a region possessing wonderful advantages for diver- 
sified farming. 

Prosperous cities, a network of railroads, perma- 
nent highways, good schools, good homes, and large 
barns, all combine to meet the ideal of the man who 
desires to remain in the "corn belt" but whose 
ambition for expansion is restricted by the advanced 
value of land. 

There is no wild land in Southern Minnesota. 
Practically every acre is utilized for crops and live 
stock. Corn, barley, oats, spring wheat, and fall 
rye are the principal grain crops. Timothy, Ken- 
tucky bluegrass, clovers, and alfalfa insure the suc- 
cess of the live stock industry. All garden crops, 
small fruits, and apples are easily grown. 

Farm improvements here are fully equal to those 
of Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Land values range 
from $100 to $200 an acre. The higher prices pre- 
vail in districts exceptionally well located. 



When compared with land values in other states, 
and based on the actual returns from the capital 
represented, land in this part of Minnesota is a 
sound investment. In other words, there has not 
yet crept into this part of the State a condition of 
sentimental values such as may be found in the older 
agricultural states. 

Central Minnesota is a Strip about as wide as 
Southern Minnesota and lying just north of that 
area. It extends as far north as Little Falls and 
Fergus Falls, and is, in fact, bounded on the north 
by the timbered and cut-over lands of Northeastern 
Minnesota and by the broad level land of the Red 
River Valley. 

This belt contains very great natural advantages 
for diversified farming: rich soil, favorable climate, 
abundance of water in streams and numerous lakes, 
delightfully rolling landscapes, and small groves of 
native trees. It contains many of the best im- 
proved farms to be found in any part of the United 
States. 

It is a region of great variety from the level 
prairie lands of the western counties to the roll- 
ing prairie, lakes and woodlands of the central 
counties, and the timber belt of the eastern counties, 
now rapidly being cleared and cultivated. 



MINNESOTA 




Dairy herds like this add milHc 



lually to the income of Minnesota farmers 



Corn growing is rapidly coming to be general on 
farms formerly used mainly for small grain. Beef 
cattle and dain,' cows are increasing in numbers 
rapidly. Silos are being built. Improved methods 
of farming are producing increasing returns which 
are reflected in a gradual increase in land values. 
The section farther east, where the surface is more 
rolling and where pasture and shade are abundant, 
is already one of the greatest dairy sections of the 
United States. Land improvement and clearing 
are rapidly extending this highly productive region. 
Good, improved farms here are worth from $65 to 
$125 an acre, the higher prices covering improve- 
ments of the very best character on farms well 
located. Uncleared lands or farms partly improved 
range in value from $25 to $50 an acre. There is 
some variation in soil but practically all of it will 
produce maximum crops. 

This section is certain to appeal to the substantial 
home seeker in the quality of its farms and its obvi- 
ous advantages in point of production and farm 
comforts. No doubt can exist but that farms of this 
region will continue to advance in value. The 
farmer coming to this part of the State from one 
of the older central states will find the pioneering 
done. It is a new countr>% but not raw. Moderate 
land values enable the owner of a small farm of 
high-priced land to establish the members of his 
family each on a farm of his own ; thus meeting the 



demand for expansion without carrying a big debt 
on high-priced land. 

In addition to corn and small grain, clover and 
timothy produce abundantly. Extensive areas spe- 
cialize in potatoes and other vegetables, several hun- 
dred cars being shipped from individual stations 
each year. The quality of Minnesota potatoes has 
established permanent markets for them throughout 
the central and southern states. 

Road-building has advanced so that all improved 
sections are well supplied, and unimproved land is 
within reach of good highways. Within a few 
miles of railroad towns some of the best wild land 
may be found. 

The Minnesota Red River Valley is the basin 
of the Red River of the North. This river is the 
boundar^' between Minnesota and North Dakota. 
The Minnesota share of the Red River Valley is 
30 to 100 miles wide and 200 miles long, lying along 
the eastern border of North Dakota. It contains 
the greatest area of smooth even land in the State. 
The valley is crossed at intervals by small rivers 
which afford natural drainage into the Red River. 

The soil of the lower or main portion of the valey 
is a heavy black loam overhing clay of great depth 
and exceptional moisture-holding qualities. It lies 
even, without undulation to any extent but with 
sufficient slope for good drainage. The sections 



MINNESOTA 



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Potatoes are a never failing cash crop for tfie new settler 



having the best natural drainage are highly devel- 
oped for farming and are found largely along the 
main or branch streams. Where drainage has been 
facilitated by ditch systems development has been 
slower, and it is this variation which accounts to 
the greatest extent for difference in land values in 
this portion of the valley. 

A number of railroad lines traverse the valley, 
bringing all farms within a few miles of stations. 
The importance of such towns as Crookston, Thief 
River Falls, Warren, Ada, Breckenridge, Moorhead, 
bear evidence of the wonderful productiveness of 
the valley. 

This level, black land makes a certain appeal to 
persons from similar regions of surrounding states. 
Its great productivity is quickly recognized by men 
familiar with such land. 

In the early stages of farm development in this 
region, continuous crops of small grain were grown. 
Good crops were produced with a minimum of labor. 
As time advances, diversification and rotation in- 
crease. At present fields of corn, potatoes, clover, 
and alfalfa divide immense fields of wheat, barley, 
oats, and flax. Comfortable homes, large barns and 
silos, groves, fenced fields and pastures, herds of 
cattle and droves of sheep and hogs are coming to 
be the rule of these Red River Valley farms. 

The opportunity here is for the man of moderate 
means to find room for expansion in acreage to meet 



the needs of his grown-up boys and girls. Lands 
may be purchased in this part of the State for $25 
to $80 an acre, depending on the improvements and 
location. 

Along the eastern edge of the main portion of the 
valley the surface changes from the even to the 
undulating or slightly rolling. The soil shows greater 
variation from heavy black to black sandy loam, 
and, continuing eastward, an increasing quantity of 
brush and trees are encountered. 

Farm improvement and drainage are gradually 
extending. A great deal of the land is very cheap 
considering its productiveness. Good opportunities 
are offered for both grain and stock raising, as there 
are still large expanses of wild pasture at a minimum 
rental, an abundance of both hay and grazing. 

Northern Minnesota has been slow in settling, 
not because of any lack of fertility, or because of 
location or climate, but because of the extensive 
lumber operations. This entire area— more than 
one-third of the State — has been a timber country. 
However, as the timber disappears, Northern 
Minnesota is being developed agriculturally. It is 
a natural grass country. The grasses and clovers 
grow profusely as soon as a clearing is made. For 
this reason dairying is of the first importance. The 
beautiful lakes, rivers, and numerous small streams 
afford the purest of water. In most localities where 



'MINNESOTA 




Feed for cattle, logs for building, and fuel for the beginner in Northern Minnesota 



corn is grown it is used for silage. Small grains and 
potatoes and root crops are grown successfully. 

The class of timber which grows on these lands 
readily classifies the soils. The heavier soils usually 
carry only hardwood, or white pine timber, the sub- 
soil being generally a heavy clay. The mixed hard- 
wood districts, with a scattering of pine and poplar, 
are generally very desirable for all-round farming. 
This soil is a mixture of sand and clay, enough sand 
being present to give warmth to the soil and ease 
in cultivation. White pine is found on a variety of 
soils ranging from very heavy clay to soils that are 
quite sandy. One is generally safe in assuming 
that hardwood and white pine lands in this section 
are productive. A good deal of this land is too 
stony for easy cultivation, but much of it is free 
from stone and very desirable farming land. Hard- 
wood land is somewhat easier cleared than white 
pine land, because if hardwood timber is cut off, 
especially if the land is pastured, the sttmips quickly 
rot and disappear. White pine stumps rot very 
slowly. Norway pine land is lighter in type than the 
white pine land, but will grow fine stands of clover 
and grasses, and is capable of producing good crops. 
Jack pine land is the lightest of the sandy soils. 
With proper rotation and seeded to clover periodi- 
cally it will pay good dividends to the careful farmer. 

While only a small proportion of the good farm 
land of this section is as yet developed, there are, 
nevertheless, very many communities that are well 



advanced. Some of the very best roads and schools 
in the State are found here. Cooperative creameries 
furnish good markets for milk and cream. Potatoes 
are one of the principal cash crops, and facilities for 
marketing this crop are being pr(n erly provided. 
Here is the place in Minnesota wh^f the settler can 
still find good farm land selling at tii comparatively 
low price of $10 to $25 an acre for la mproved land. 
While much of this land is improve 1, the climate, 
soil, and markets are such that therie an be no ques- 
tion about the future developmenoj Good water, 
trees, lakes, and streams, plenty orauel. and com- 
paratively cheap building and fencing material 
afford opportunities for the develqj^ment of farm 
homes under really desirable living! Conditions. 

Settling in this section of Minriesota is by no 
means pioneering in the old sensS of the word, 
because there are plenty of good opportunities where 
schools, roads, markets, and neighbors are acces- 
sible. The land is cheap merely o^ 'account of the 
fact that it is still covered with,': prush, stumps, 
and logs, which must be removed liefore it can be- 
come productive. The opportunities in Northern 
Minnesota are for actual settlers who will clear the 
land and make it productive, "the opportunity 
here is for the man who has little capital but his 
own labor, or for the man with capital. The essen- 
tial point is that the land must be developed. One 
cannot expect rapid advance in undeveloped land 
held merely for speculation. 



MINNESOTA 




Stump land pastures give good returns 



Beef and brains make bank accounts for the farmer 



CEREAL CROPS 

The growing of small grains — wheat, oats, rye, 
and barley — is an important part of farming opera- 
tions almost everywhere in Minnesota. The harvest 
of grain that every fall flows into the granaries and 
elevators is a mute tribute to the productivity of the 
land, the industry of the farmers, and the extensive 
area of the State. The 1918 crop of 134,000,000 
bushels of oats, 80,000,000 bushels of wheat, 43,- 
000,000 of barley, and 8,000,000 of rye^a total of 
265,000,000 bushels — shows how general and how 
extensive grain production is in Minnesota. 

Wheat has been, and still continues to be, Minne- 
sota's great cash grain crop. Throughout the Red 
River Valley and Central Minnesota the wheat 
raised is nearly all of the spring varieties — Marquis, 
Velvet Chaff, Fife, and Blue Stem particularly. In 
Southern Minnesota some winter wheat is raised, 
but hard spring wheat, for which Minnesota is 
famous, is the principal variety grown. 

Oats is the greatest grain crop of the State in 
point of bushels grown, but a large part of the crop 
is used on the farms where produced. This crop 
seems to be adapted to every part of the State. In 
Southern Minnesota it is a cash crop, and a large 
acreage is commonly grown for sale, in addition to 
that required for farm feed. On the smaller farms. 



where the rotation calls for a grain crop once in 
three, four, or five years, oats are almost always 
sown. In Northern Minnesota, both quality and 
yield are especially good, returns of 70, 80, or 90 
bushels an acre being recorded. The early 60-day 
oats are frequently grown in the north, and also 
often in Central Minnesota, so as to get the oats 
harvested before the wheat harvest is on. In 
Southern Minnesota the standard white varieties 
are common. 

Barley as a feed crop or a cash crop is growing 
in favor. A large acreage is harvested annually, 
the 6 -row bearded varieties being the favorite. 
Its early maturity, which makes possible a longer 
harvesting season, its large yield in pounds of feed 
per acre, and its splendid feeding qualities make this 
crop very popular. In regions where corn is not 
successfully grown, barley is extensively used for 
fattening hogs, being almost as satisfactory for that 
purpose as corn. 

Rye is grown to a large extent on the lighter soils, 
but is also raised throughout the State. This crop 
is often thought of as a crop for poor soils only, but 
its adaptability in rotations and its excellent yields 
have brought it into favor with farmers generally. 
The winter variety is generally grown, but some 
successful trials with spring rye have been made. 



MINNESOTA 




Alfalfa is becoming a most important crop on grain and live stock farms 



Flax, though not a cereal, is grown so generally 
it should be mentioned here. On new breaking it 
does especially well, giving a good crop while sub- 
duing the sod' for other crops. It does well any- 
where in the State. 

CORN 

Cultivated crops are of special importance in the 
farming operations of Northern Minnesota. The 
limited acreage under the plow on many northern 
farms means that the largest possible returns must 
be obtained, and cultivated crops, especially pota- 
toes and root crops, offer such returns. 

Corn is the great cultivated crop of Southern and 
Central Minnesota, and is grown to some extent 
all over the State. In spite of the fact that the 
northern boundary is 400 miles from the southern, 
which means that the State's northern regions are 
well beyond the corn zone, it must still be remem- 
bered that the State ranks among the foremost as a 
great corn state. Its mighty crop of 110,000,000 
bushels in 1918 is outranked by only one fact, and 
that is her average yield of forty bushels an acre. 
In 1918 Minnesota stood seventh in total corn yield 
among all the states of the Union. Corn is king in 
Minnesota, as in so many of the other states of the 
corn belt, and the farmers are looking forward to 
still greater results. 



Corn may be grown in many parts of Northern 
Minnesota, but the settler who goes into Northern 
Minnesota must not expect the same results as his 
neighbor to the southward. Considerable silage 
corn is grown all through the Red River Valley and 
in parts of the cut-over region, and except in unfav- 
orable years, ripe corn is also secured. North- 
western Dent, Minnesota No. 23, and the flint 
varieties are best adapted to northern localities. 



POTATOES AND ROOT CROPS 

Potatoes are an important cash crop in Minne- 
sota. The State produces about 30,000,000 bushels 
annually, about two-thirds of which are sold outside 
of the State. Most of the potatoes grown on a 
commercial basis are raised north of the Twin Cities. 

Potatoes are the great cultivated crop of Northern 
Minnesota farms. For the new settler, with a small 
clearing, the potato crop offers a large return per 
acre, and for the better developed farm, with modern 
machinery and large-sized operations, they are also 
a profitable crop. The soil and the climate seem to 
be peculiarly adapted to the production of large 
yields of tubers of high quality, and yields of 200 to 
250 bushels an acre are common, while many growers 
regularly expect even larger yields. 



M INNESOT A 




The poultry products of the State amount to approximately 
thirty miUion dollars annually 



This man's share of Minnesota's thirty-two million bushel 
potato crop make him smile 



Following the example of the Red River Valley, 
which has developed the widely-know and well 
adapted strain known as the Red River Valley 
Early Ohio, the entire northern section of Minnesota 
is swinging steadily toward certain definite varie- 
ties, best suited to the soil and climatic conditions. 
Of the late potatoes, probably the most popular 
variety is the Green Mountain, or Carmen No. 1, a 
splendid white potato which yields well and com- 
mands a ready market. The Rural New Yorker, or 
Carmen No. 3, is almost as generally raised. Russet 
Burbanks are in favor in some localities, and other 
varieties are found. These late varieties go on the 
market as table stock, and their crisp, firm flesh and 
splendid keeping qualities are winning for Northern 
Minnesota an enviable reputation as a potato-pro- 
ducing section. 

Early varieties are Bliss Triumph, Early Ohio, 
and Irish Cobbler. These go on the market prin- 
cipally as seed stock for the southern trade, and the 
native influence of northern conditions in giving 
sturdy seed stock as well as freedom from disease 
and trueness to variety and type is bringing the 
southern trade to Minnesota in every increasing 

lume. 

Many fanners raise one early and one late variety 
to lengthen their digging season and to concentrate 
on standardization of varieties. 



Rutabagas and other root crops for stock feed 
are of great importance, especially on the farm with 
a limited acreage cleared. Northern Minnesota is 
a natural stock country. Pasture is abundant, or 
may easily be opened up, but the winter feed is not 
so easily provided. It is one thing to clear away the 
brush sufficiently to give plenty of pasture land. It 
is another matter to finish the clearing, to get out 
the stumps, and break the land in sufficient quan- 
tities to provide hay land to correspond with the 
pasture land. Consequently, the shortage of hay 
must be supplemented by crops which may be raised 
on a smaller acreage, and of all these other crops, 
rutabagas stand first. The yield is good, from 
twelve to fifteen or more tons an acre, so that a 
very small piece of ground will produce large 
returns. Root crops of this character are more 
than roughage; they take the place of grain which 
in many cases would have to be bought and they 
provide the succulence needed for the production 
of live stock. 

Root crops as they are handled in Northern Minne- 
sota do not require so much work as one might 
suppose. They are planted in rows and cultivated, 
and require one thinning and some hand work in 
weeding, but as the acreage is usually small on 
account of the very heavy yields, the work of caring 
for the crop is not excessive. In the fall, the crop 



MINNESOTA 




The clover crop raised in the northern part of the State insures ample pasture, winter feed, and soil fertility 



is stored in cheap root-cellars near the barn so as 
to be handy for feeding. 

The price of rutabagas is often good enough to 
make rutabagas a profitable crop to raise for the 
market, but the farmer with a herd of cows in his 
barn and a good market for dairy products will 
usually gain by feeding this crop. 

HAY AND FORAGE CROPS 

Minnesota points with special pride to its grass 
and hay crops. In addition to the great crops of 
grain, corn, potatoes, and other farm products, 
there is every year harvested a tremendously valu- 
able crop of hay. Minnesota is a live stock state. 
Diversified farming is the rule, not the exception. 
The luxuriant pastures and heavy hay crops are 
necessary to the continued success of the live stock 
industry, which is the foundation of diversified 
agriculture. 

The standard hay crop is a mixture of medium red 
clover and timothy. On low lands this is supple- 
mented with alsike clover and redtop, but all over 
the State the red clover and timothy combination is 
seen. The clover, being a biennial, lasts only a year 
or two in the mixture, and after that a year or so 
of clear timothy is often secured before a meadow is 
broken up. Often such a meadow is turned into 
pasture for a time, though more often the rough or 



low spots of the farm are fenced in as permanent 
pasture, thus securing profitable yields from every 
acre of the farm. Left to itself, an old meadow will 
promptly grow up to Kentucky blue grass, though 
the process may be hastened by sowing in a little 
blue grass seed. 

Clover is the most valuable of all the forage 
crops grown in the State. This is not only because 
of its wonderful growth and native adaptability, but 
because of its importance in the general Minnesota 
farming plan. The progressive fanner — whether in 
Northern or in Southern Minnesota — aims to put in 
a piece of clover nearly every year. It is the biggest 
and surest rotation hay crop he can get ; it produces 
a fine aftermath for cattle, hogs, or sheep to pasture 
on in the fall; it leaves a fine texture to the soil 
when it is finally plowed under, and, more than all 
these, it leaves the soil enriched in nitrogen. This 
great crop seems to be especially adapted to condi- 
tions in Northern Minnesota. Seed scattered from 
the hay which the loggers took into this timbered 
region years ago started the crop and now it grows 
wild all over the north, wherever there is a clearing 
large enough to let it start. Consequent^, the first 
thing a new settler does is to clear away a few acres 
of brush and scatter in a little clover seed. In a 
few months he has as fine a pasture as any cow 
could wish. 



15 







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M INNESOT A 




Many successful Minnesota farmers began this way 



Northern Minnesota is a great clover-seed produc- 
ing area, the hghter soils of the State being particu- 
larly adapted to seed production. In addition to the 
seed produced in this special region, clover is often 
hulled in other parts of the State, and, consequently, 
there is usually no difficulty in securing plenty of 
high class clover seed. Timothy seed is produced 
freely also, as well as alsike. 

The advantage of securing home-grown seed is 
apparent, because it is sure to be acclimated and 
also because many farmers are able to raise their 
own seed, thus assuring a constant supply for re- 
placement. A ready market is found for any sur- 
plus. 

Alfalfa is successfully grown in every county in 
the State. The acreage of alfalfa is not large, be- 
cause it has been so easy to get a catch of clover and 
other grasses that the grass necessarily grown in 
rotations has furnished all the hay and pasturage 
needed. On some of the more intensive live stock 
farms alfalfa is now raised quite extensively. Where 
alfalfa is grown, three crops are cut each year. 

HOME GARDENS AND HOME FRUIT 

A considerable part of the home living of prac- 
tically every Minnesota farm is furnished by the 
home garden. A small plot of ground, well planned 
and well tended, will yield a surprisingly large and 



regular supply of fresh vegetables and fruits, and 
at a very small expenditure of labor. 

All common garden vegetables are readily grown 
anywhere in the State. Potatoes, beans, peas, let- 
tuce, onions, radishes, carrots, beets, asparagus, 
rhubarb, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet corn, squash, 
pumpkin, turnips, rutabagas, Swiss chard, spinach, 
ground cherries, kohlrabi — these are a few of the 
common vegetables raised. Such small fruits as 
raspberries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, 
blackberries, are usually raised in quantities suffi- 
cient for home use. Home orchards of summer and 
winter apples are common through Southern and 
Central Minnesota, and plums, grapes, and other 
fruit may be found in many orchards. 

COMMERCIAL FRUIT-GROWING 

Fruit-growing on a commercial scale has been 
developed to a considerable degree in certain dis- 
tricts of the State. The best developed of these 
localities is that of the Lake Minnetonka district 
just west of Minneapolis. Hundreds of farmers in 
this district make the growing of raspberries, straw- 
berries, and apples the main enterprise of their 
farms. Other well known fruit districts are in 
Houston, Washington, Fillmore, Wright, Crow Wing, 
and Aitkin counties. Raspberries are the chief 
commercial fruit crop in Crow Wing and Aitkin 



MINNESOTA 




Rye is particularly adapted to newly cleared leind 



counties, and raspberries and strawberries in Wash- 
ington County. Near Mankato many acres are 
devoted to black raspberries and apples. 

A special fruit-breeding farm is located near 
Excelsior to bring out new varieties of fruits. Such 
varieties as Minnesota No. 3 strawberry, Minnesota 
No. 4 raspberry are varieties that are very promi- 
nent. Minnesota No. 21 plum is receiving con- 
siderable favorable comment. 

Many commercial apple orchards may be found 
throughout Southern Minnesota. Several splendid 
varieties of apples originated in Minnesota,, as for 
example, the Wealthy, well known for hardiness and 
excellent quality. This originated near Excelsior. 
Varieties best suited to the different localities have 
been developed both for commercial and home use. 
Lists of the varieties of fruits, vegetables, and orna- 
mental plants, suitable for planting in the State, may 
be secured from the Minnesota State Horticultural 
Society which has headquarters in Minneapolis. 

A very important development in connection 
with the commercial growing of small fruits in 
Minnesota is the plan of cooperative marketing. 
Practically every important small fruit section has 
one or more of these fruit-shipping associations which 
handle practically all the fruit grown in their respec- 
tive localities. Each association has as manager an 
experienced fruit salesman who handles the business 
of the association. Ample warehouses and sheds are 



maintained, the fruit itself is carefully picked, 
graded, packed, and labeled, and everything possible 
is done to maintain a reputation for high-class pro- 
duction. These associations are a success in every 
way and are a practical example of Minnesota's 
cooperative spirit. 

LIVE STOCK 

A report of the United States Department of 
Agriculture for January I, 1919, shows the number 
and value of live stock in Minnesota: 

Number Value 

Horses 050,000 $93,100,000 

Cows 1.368,000 106.704.000 

Other cattle 1,632.000 54,672.000 

Sheep 642.000 8.474,400 

Swine 2.784,000 79.344.000 

This allows for each of the 160,000 farmers in the 
State 6 horses, 19 head of cattle, 17 hogs, and 4 
sheep. Taking into account the fact that thousands 
of farms were recorded in the newer settled portions 
of the State, whose ver>' recent development had 
not allowed time to accumulate much stock, an idea 
can be gained of the large amount of stock found 
on the average well developed farm. As a better 
idea of what a well developed Minnesota farm 
actually does contain, the average figures for Rock 
County, one of the older and well settled counties, 
are given. On the 1,200 farms reported for this 
little county of twelve townships, there was an 



MINNESOTA 




Sheep keep down the brush and make clearing easier 



As the brush and stumps disappear, the farm develops 



average for every farm of 9 horses, 36 head of cattle, 
90 hogs, and 5 sheep. 

On the larger farms of Southern and Central 
Minnesota, the raising of beef cattle and the feeding 
of cattle for market is common. Purebred herds of 
all the beef breeds are common, some of the best 
herds in America being found in Minnesota. Pure- 
bred sires for the heading of grade and purebred 
herds may be readily obtained, and as a consequence 
the herds are showing constant improvement. 

Throughout the area the feeding of beef steers 
is a profitable practice. Especially on the larger 
farms, where a large amount of feed is available 
with a relatively small amount of help, the feed 
yard is the main channel for the disposal of the 
season's crop. The advantage of being able to ship 
to the South St. Paul market or to the Chicago or 
Sioux City markets, as circumstances warrant, is 
not lost to these feeders, nor is the opportunity of 
buying feeders from these near-by markets neglected. 

There is a splendid opportunity for the general 
dairy farmer to secure good sires at reasonal^le prices 
from these herds, or to secure foundation stock for 
a purebred herd of his own. The best of cooperation 
e.xists between the established breeders and the new 
beginner, as every additional purebred herd or 
purebred sire means just that much more develop- 
ment to the live stock industry of the State. 



HOGS 

Minnesota was designated by the United States 
Food Administration in 1918 as one of the eight 
leading corn and hog-producing states. Very rapid 
development has been made in swine-raising in re- 
cent years owing to a great increase in corn produc- 
tion and to the large production of barley. The 
thousands of cars of hogs that may be seen moving 
toward South St. Paul, Chicago, and Sioux City 
each winter are a visible proof of the importance of 
this great crop. And the prosperity left behind in 
cancelled mortgages in better houses and barns, in 
tile drainage, and in other improvements, indicates 
better than anything else the important part hogs 
have played and are playing in Minnesota's develop- 
ment. 

All breeds are raised. There are purebred herds 
in large numbers, some of them being herds of na- 
tional reputation. Duroc Jerseys probably out- 
number any other breed, both as to number of 
breeders and in the number of actual hogs which 
reach the market. But there are many Poland 
China, Chester White, Yorkshire, and Berkshire 
herds, as well as those of other breeds. 



M I NNESOT A 




The half-way point in the evolution of a Minnesota farm 



SHEEP 

The great demand for wool during the last year 
or so has called attention to the importance of the 
sheep industry in Minnesota. Some sheep are raised 
in every county. There should be more. In 
Northern Minnesota, on the great cut-over pastures 
of that verdant region, sheep do especially well. 
Browsing through the brush and among the stumps, 
they turn a handsome profit from the partly cleared 
acres, while during the winter their warm coats turn 
the cold so that meager shelters and a minimum of 
feed bring them out in spring fit and ready for the 
lambing season and the spring pastures. Thou- 
sands of sheep have been shipped into Northern 
Minnesota during the last year or so, but there is 
room for many thousands more. 

But it is not only on the cut-over farm that sheep 
may be found. Anywhere in the State they do well, 
and the farm flock is recognized on thousands of 
farms as an important branch of the live stock indus- 
try. A small flock will trim up the weeds, and clean 
up the aftermath from haying and harvest, at a good 
profit for the little extra feed they require, and they 
will keep the place looking neat and trim besides. 
Many farmers maintain small flocks of from ten to 
fifty head especially for this purpose, and find it 
pays. 

Larger flocks are kept by many farmers. In the 
Red River Valley many such flocks may be seen, and 



they are found to be well adapted to the more exten- 
sive methods of farming practiced there. 

DAIRYING 

Dairying in Minnesota has made its great growth 
in connection with diversified farming. Through- 
out a great deal of the State the dairy herd is an 
important part of the farming system, furnishing a 
profitable outlet for the pasture, roughage, and 
grain, and providing regular and profitable labor for 
the farmer and his family; at the same time main- 
taining the fertility of the farm and assuring a 
permanent system of farming. 

Dairy products in Minnesota are marketed chiefly 
in the form of butter, and the butter industry of the 
State is almost entirely on the cooperative basis. 
Minnesota has more than 800 creameries and of 
this number more than 600 are cooperative, owned 
and operated by the farmers. The practical advan- 
tage of this close relation of the farmers to their 
creameries is seen in the fact that of the $49,214,876 
received for butter bv the creameries of the State 
in 1917, $44,176,033.18 was paid to the farmers for 
butterfat. 

The cheese industry' of Minnesota is now making 
marked progress. Many fine, new, modern fac- 
tories have been built during the last year and cheese 
factor^' managers have offered verj' alluring prices to 



M INNESOT A 




The winter harvest in Northern Minnesota 



farmers for milk. There are now about eighty-five 
factories manufacturing American, brick, and Swiss 
cheese. Last year 6,421,148 povmds were produced, 
the greater part of which was American cheese. 
Although the amount of cheese made in this State 
is less than that of some of the neighboring states, 
the quality is not surpassed by any. 

Poultry has attained an important place on 
Minnesota farms. In fact, the average farm flock in 
Minnesota is larger than is found in most other 
states. The average egg yield per hen is also high. 
The climatic conditions assure a strong, healthy, 
and vigorous fowl and the farmers of Minnesota for 
several years have made rapid progress in developing 
a better class of poultry; not only aiming to obtain 
better egg yields but increased meat production. 

Poultry progress has been made possible primarily 
through the efforts put forth by the county poultry 
organizations, which, at the present time number 
more than sixty. The object of these poultry or- 
ganizations has been to better the quality of the 
poultry. To a considerable degree the cross-bred 
and low-producing hen has given way to well-bred, 
high-producing, full-blooded stock. 

There are communities that have made a specialty 
of egg production. As an instance, the country 
about Barnimi, Carlton County, has become famous 
as an egg-producing section. Within a radius of a 
few miles there can be found over 30,000 hens kept 



especially for egg production. Ten years ago 
$3,000 worth of eggs were produced annually in the 
Barmrm district. In the year 1918 more than 
$53,000 worth were produced. 

Turkeys, ducks, and geese are raised extensively 
in about every section of the State. For many 




At the present time there are eight hundred creameries in 
Minnesota. More than six hundred being cooperative 



MINNESOTA 




A barley field in the northern part of the State 



years it has seemed almost impossible to raise the 
usual number of turkeys in the eastern and midwest 
section of the United States. Still, the turkey indus- 
try in Minnesota during the last few years shows a 
very satisfactory increase. The most extensive tur- 
key flocks are found in Northern and Western 
Minnesota. 

In the southern and central parts of the State 
especially, water fowls are found in large numbers 
The ducks and geese each year figure extensively in 
the farm poultry operations. 

In 1918, in the face of high-priced feeds, when 
practically every state in the Union fell considerably 
below its normal production, Minnesota was one of 
the three or four states that not only maintained its 
normal production of poultry and eggs, but showed 
an increase of more than 10 per cent. 

SCHOOLS 

More than one-half of Minnesota's large rural 
population is made up of farmers, and more than 
one-half of its school children are enrolled in its 
rural schools. With singular foresight its leaders 
have guided and built up all its educational insti- 
tutions. The State points with special pride and 
gratitude to their stewardship of the pulilic school 
funds. A permanent school fund, accumulated from 
the sale of land, timber, and iron ore, of more than 



$28,000,000 has been built up and loaned. The 
interest on this fund, in addition to liberal legislative 
grants, has been a potent factor in building up the 
State's schools. There are now 7,176 rural school 
districts with a wide difference in area, property 
valuation, and population. 

By means of state aid, the standardization of the 
rural schools began a number of years ago. This 
aid has been increased from time to time. A first 
grade rural school receives $100. In 1918 there were 
6,577 state-aided rural schools requiring a legislative 
grant of $1,022,065. 

This special aid has resulted in better trained 
teachers. The teachers' training departments in the 
State's high schools prepare annually about 1,500 
teachers. These have at least three years of high 
school education and one year of professional 
training. 

Better buildings and equipment. Every school 
has a good heating and ventilating system. In 
many cases new buildings have had to be erected in 
order that the district might receive state aid. Class 
A schools must be in session at least eight months. 

It is not strange that the State, always concerned 
about the education of country boys and girls, 
should take the lead in building a new kind of coun- 
try school. This school, larger in the area served, 
in enrollment, in valuation, and in possibilities, is 



23 



MINNESOTA 




Modern consolidated country schools with their tree busses take the children to and from school free of charge 



known as the consolidated school. Already 280 
consolidated schools have been established and 
12,000 children are daily transported to school. To 
aid in the building up of these large rural schools, 
liberal aid has been provided by the State. The 
buildings must be modern in every respect and pro- 
vide special rooms for agriculture, manual training, 
and domestic science. To aid in the erection of 
such a building $2,000 state aid is offered. To help 
maintain industrial courses consolidated schools of 
Class A receive annually $500, and schools of 
Class B, $250. In order to make possible a large 
consolidated school many children must be trans- 
ported by means of busses, and for this the State 
offers a maximum aid of $2,000. 

Every community of Minnesota, with a popula- 
tion of 300, supports a state graded or a state high 
school. Instruction in graded schools is free to all 
pupils residing in the school district, and attendance 
at any high school is free to every boy and girl in the 
State. The courses of study aim to be in harmony 
with the child's home life and future activities. 
Industrial training is a part of the work in most of 
the high schools, and in a large number of graded 
schools. Courses in agriculture, manual training, 
and home eonomics, under the direction of well- 
trained teachers, are provided through the special 
encouragement of the State. Minnesota is ac- 



knowledged as the leader in its general scheme for 
industrial education through the public schools. 

Minnesota supports six state normal schools: at 
Winona, Mankato, St. Cloud, Moorhead, Duluth, 
and Bemidji. The aggregate attendance in 1918 
was 3,523. Tuition is free. Board and room are 
furnished at cost. Dormitories are provided at all 
of the schools. The course of study embraces two 
years of professional work. On its completion, the 
diploma issued becomes a state certificate. The 
normal school graduates find positions in the public 
schools, and there is a constant demand for a larger 
number of teachers from them. 

Minnesota's varied population has always been 
loyal to its public schools and state educational 
institutions of a higher order. At the same time, 
there has always been room and opportunity for the 
private schools, academies, and colleges that have 
been established by the different religious denomi- 
nations. These have grown to be important fac- 
tors in education and special training, and include 
schools for girls, industrial schools, academies that 
train for public school service, and denominational 
school service, and many colleges that have a recog- 
nized rank among institutions of higher learning. 

As a permanent means of support for public 
schools, Minnesota already has a fund of $28,000,000. 



MINNESOTA 




The road appropriation act requires road maintena 



The home comforts increase as the farm develops 



This has been accumulated through the sale and 
lease of public lands granted by the National 
Government. The income from this fund is dis- 
tributed annually to the public schools, on the basis 
of the number of pupils, between five and twenty-one 
years of age, enrolled and attending not less than 
forty days. The fund is invested in state and muni- 
cipal bonds. Besides this, there is a state one-mill 
levy, which, together with the income from the per- 
manent school fund, constitutes the current school 
fund. The amount from these two sources of income 
is about $2,000,000 a year. The aggregate amount 
of the current school fund distributed since 1864 is 
more than $51,000,000. The annual per capita from 
the current school fund is about $6. It will be seen 
that this is an important source of income in the 
maintenance of public schools. 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 

The Department of Agriculture of the University 
of Minnesota, including the experiment stations and 
sub-stations, the college and schools of agriculture, 
the agricultural extension division, including a 
county agent in each county, are all parts of one 
great movement for the improvement of the agri- 
culture of the State. The agricultural work, as 
represented by these institutions, is but one part 



of the work of the University of Minnesota, which 
combines a college of medicine, a law school, a col- 
lege of dentistry, a college of engineering, a college 
of science, literature, the arts, a college of agri- 
culture, and many other branches, into one com- 
prehensive institution. 

The central experiment station is located at Uni- 
versity Farm, St. Paul, and carries out any line of 
agricultural experiments that may be required in 
the agricultural development of the State. Many 
new varieties of grain, corn, and other products 
have been developed at University Farm as a result 
of the systematic and careful search for varieties 
exactly adapted to Minnesota's conditions, as for 
example, Minnesota No. 13 corn, and No. 23 corn, 
two of the most valuable varieties in the State; 
Minnesota 281 oats, and Minnesota 105 barley. 

Branch stations at Crookston, Morris, Grand 
Rapids, Duluth, Waseca, and Excelsior make it 
possible to carPt' on the necessan.* experimental work 
under the conditions of soil, climate, and type of 
farming prevailing in various parts of the State. 

Schools of agriculture are maintained in connec- 
tion with the experiment stations at St. Paul, 
Morris, and Crookston. In these, hundreds of 
young men and women receive instruction ever\' 
year in the subjects best suited to fit them to become 
the farmers and the home makers of the future. 



MINNESOTA 




Everybody goes to the County Fa 



The coiirse offered is practically the same at all 
three places, and consists of a three-year course of 
six months each year. Graduates of these schools 
may be met anywhere in the State. A recent census 
showing that 85 per cent of the young men who have 
graduated are farming or in farm homes. Any one 
with farm experience who has finished the eighth 
grade may enter. The expenses are very moderate 
and the schools are in session only from October to 
March. Hence these schools offer an exceptionl 
opportunity to the boy or girl, who is needed at home 
during the busy season. 

The College of Agriculture, at University Farm, 
offers a four-year course leading to a degree of 
Bachelor of Science. High school graduates and 
others able to meet the entrance requirements 
usually take this course, which not only fits yoimg 
men and women for farming and home making, but 
leads to teaching and experiment station or extension 
work. 

The agricultural extension division is the branch 
of the agricultural college which reaches the people 
of the State who can not go to the college or the 
schools. A staff of trained men and women is con- 
stantly employed for the assistance of people any- 
where in Minnesota who desire help in solving their 
agricultural problems. Not only that, but this body 
of men and women is constantly bringing to the 



attention of the people the best and most practical 
methods which the experiment stations and pro- 
gressive individuals have developed. Farmers' in- 
stitutes, short courses, and other meetings are held 
throughout the State, and so general and so well 
understood have these activities become that it is 
seldom that a locality is reached where the purpose 
and genuine assistance of this work is not appre- 
ciated. 

COUNTY AGENTS 

A county agricultural agent is maintained in every 
county, usually with headquarters at the county seat. 
The services of the county agent are available with- 
out cost to any one, and the free use made of his 
familiarity and training in the agriculture and devel- 
opment of the county indicates how generally his 
services are appreciated. In a strong live stock 
county where the care and handling of live stock is 
of special importance, the county agent is usually a 
man with special ability in such work. In some 
counties, especially in Northern Minnesota, where 
potato raising has developed to a large extent, the 
county agents are emphasizing the importance of 
disease control, standardization of varieties, and 
other practices necessary for continued success in 
this iDranch of farming. The work of the experiment 
stations, the services of the extension division, and 



26 



-m- 



MINNESOTA 




Breeding pure blood dairy stock is a growing industry in Minnesota 



the best and latest assistance from any source, is 
brought to the county by the county agents. 

A new settler should get acquainted with the 
county agent in order to obtain practical assistance 
in securing a good location and a right start. 

TRANSPORTATION 

Minnesota is well favored with reference to rail- 
road transportation. The following federal con- 
trolled lines operate within the State: Chicago, 
Burlington & Quincy; Chicago Great Western; 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; Chicago, Rock 
Island & Pacific; Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & 
Omaha; Chicago & North Western; Duluth, Missabe 
& Northern; Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic; Great 
Northern; Green Bay & Western; Illinois Central; 
Minneapolis & St. Louis; Minneapolis, St. Paul & 
Sault Ste. Marie; Minnesota & International; North- 
ern Pacific. From St. Paul and Minneapolis (the Twin 
Cities) and Duluth and Superior (the "Twin Ports") 
radiate railroad lines to all sections of the country, 
including four transcontinental lines to the Pacific 
coast. To the northward the railroad lines branch 
out into the Northwest; to the eastward they lead 
to Chicago, Milwaukee, and the eastern markets ; to 
the southward to Des Moines, Kansas City, and St. 
Louis, and to the southwestward to Sioux City, 
Council Bluffs, and Omaha. 



By reason of the adequate transportation facili- 
ties, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth have become 
the greatest primary wheat markets in America. 
The South St. Paul stock yards and packing plants 
offer an excellent market for cattle, sheep, and hogs. 
For Minnesota's butter the markets of the east and 
west are equally available. Lake transportation 
from Duluth gives Minnesota economical rates on 
export grain. 

While the northern part of Minnesota is as yet 
only partly developed from an agricultural stand- 
point, here, as elsewhere, the railroads have pushed 
ahead of agricultural development, and with the 
exception of comparatively few districts, there is no 
land more than twenty or twenty-five miles from 
rail or water transportation ; and there are thousands 
of acres of good undeveloped land that are distant 
only from five to ten miles from a railroad track. 
The prospective settler will find it unnecessary to 
go any great distance from a railroad and in many 
instances good improved or partly improved farms, 
as well as wild land, may be secured less than five 
miles from a town or shipping station. 

Good auto and wagon roads traverse ewery section 
of the State, making it easy to transport produce to 
market, and the system of state highways is being 
rapidly extended each year, and Minnesota during 
the last Mn years has made great progress in this 
directional 



MINNESOTA 




Threshing peas in Northwestern Minnesota 



MARKETS 

With respect to markets, Minnesota offers splendid 
advantages. St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth, 
the greatest grain markets in the world, are distrib- 
uting centers of the whole Northwest. Practically 
seven-eighths of the wheat shipped to Minneapolis 
is ground into flour there. The Minneapolis flour 
mills have a daily capacity of 85,000 barrels, and 
26,000,000 bushels of grain have been received in 
Minneapolis in a single month. 

Minneapolis and Duluth stand first in the United 
States as a flaxseed market, and as a result have 
many linseed oil mills. 

The immense tonnage passing through the Twin 
Ports is only exceeded by that of New York City. 
This direct water connection at the head of Lake 
Superior with the eastern and foreign markets means 
that the Minnesota farmer will always have access 
to the world's markets. 

South St. Paul is recognized as one of the leading 
stock markets of the Middle West. The packing 
houses now have a large killing capacity of cattle, 
hogs, and sheep. Immense additional facilities are 
under construction. In 1918, 4,000,000 head of live 
stock were received at this terminal. 

As a manufacturing state, Minnesota ranks twelfth 
in the United States. The great waterways are 



being harnessed and water power, "white coal," is 
causing manufacturing industries to spring up over 
the entire State. 

Minnesota produces two-thirds of all the iron ore 
mined in the United States and one-fourth of all the 
iron ore mined in the world. The great steel plant 
at Duluth represents an investment of $25,000,000 
and employs thousands of workmen. 

All these industries mean much to the farmer in 
Minnesota. They bring the best markets to his very 
door. Three-quarters of a million people in the 
cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth are 
dependent on the farmer for food; and scattered 
throughout the State are ten live manufacturing 
cities of over 10,000 population each. The new 
settler locating in Minnesota will find not only a 
fertile farm, but profitable markets already provided. 

COOPERATION IN MINNESOTA 

The spirit of true cooperation is a prominent 
characteristic of farm life in Minnesota. More 
than 600 cooperative creameries are at work in 
Minnesota, every one of them a tribute to the efforts 
of the dairymen of its community to get together in 
the manufacture of a product that will be better, 
more economically produced, and more profitably 
sold than if handled in any other way. The coop- 



28 



MINNESOTA 




Minnesota has ten thousand lakes and millions of fish 



erative elevators have accomplished much the same 
kind of thing in the storage and sale of grain. 

A splendid example of the simplicity and effec- 
tiveness of cooperative effort may be seen also in the 
live stock shipping associations. When the mem- 
bers of an association have enough stock to make a 
carload, one of their number acting as manager ships 
the whole lot, marking each animal for identification. 
Hundreds of such live stock shipping associations 
are in operation in the State. From 60 per cent to 
70 per cent of all live stock shipped is handled 
through these cooperative shipping associations. 

The cooperative marketing of potatoes is another 
important phase of this movement. Associations 
owning warehouses and handling many cars every 
year are in successful operation. Fruit-shipping 
associations and other forms have also succeeded 
well. 



FISH AND GAME AND RECREATION 

Minnesota stands well among the states of the 
Union in its wealth of natural resources; especially 
in wild life, game birds, quadrupeds, and fish. Not- 
withstanding the rapid development of its lumbering, 
mining, and agricultural industries, and its rapid 



growth in population, game is still abundant in 
many regions and fish are plentiful in the State's 
thousands of beautiful lakes and winding streams. 

The State was one of the first to outlaw the spring 
shooting of birds, the sale of game, and other 
destructive practices. As a result within the borders 
of the State are to be found the cheery bob-white 
quail, the wary prairie chicken, the handsome part- 
ridge, and other grouse; waterfowl and shore birds 
sweeping over the prairies, marshes, and lakes; in 
season, furbearers of many species — the dainty deer, 
the sturdy bear, and the lordly moose. 

The forest area of the State is of vast extent and 
much of it is of such a nature that it will remain 
indefinitely a haven for game. There are no arid, 
treeless wastes; the unsettled portions are all thickly 
covered with luxuriant vegetation. Besides exten- 
sive sanctuaries have been set aside for game, where 
the inhabitants of the forest will be forever free 
from molestation by hunters. 

One-sixteenth of the area of Minnesota is water — 
mostly lakes var>'ing in size from a few acres to 
440 square miles in extent. The wide distribution 
of water makes possible for vast numbers the enjoy- 
ment of excellent boating, bathing, and fishing. 

The commercial fisheries of the State employ 
more than 1,000 men who receive an annual wage of 



MINNESOTA 




Good highways may be found througliout the State, and 
are being rapidly extended 



Numerous silos are an evidence of increasing prosperity 
on Minnesota farms 



$500,000, represent capital of $700,000, pay a 
revenue to the State of more than $75,000, and pro- 
duce $1,500,000 worth of fish annually for the mar- 
kets. Commercial fishing is carried on at such 
places and in such a way as not to interfere at all 
with angling. 

A well established and successfully operated 
system of hatcheries enables the game and fish 
department to stock more than a thousand lakes 
and streams every year with the choicest varieties 
of game fish. The output of the hatcheries last year, 
of fish actually hatched and planted in the waters 
of the State, was over 332,000,000. What has been 
extensively developed in fish propagation has been 
begim in game propagation. A game farm is in 
successful operation and 3,000 game birds a year 
are being liberated. An equal number of eggs is 
furnished to farmers. 

ADVICE TO THE NEW SETTLER 

The man who moves to Southern Minnesota, 
Central Minnesota, or the Red River Valley will find 
new conditions, but he will find a type of farming 
not unlike that to which he has been accustomed. 
The man who goes to the great cut-over region of 
Northern Mirmesota, though, will meet along with 
new opportunities, some new experiences. He 



should, therefore, searchingly study both the 
adaptability of himself and family to the new loca- 
tion, and also their ability to follow the successful 
practices of the northern farmer. 

The man looking forward to settling in Northern 
Minnesota should consider carefully his available 
funds and present condition before moving. If he 
is saving money, he should stay by his present posi- 
tion till he may have from $800 to $1,500 left after 
the first payment on his land is made. 

If, however, he is barely making a living now and 
is unable to accumulate any savings, he may do 
better to move at once, though he will be laboring 
under a handicap if he starts without capital. 

For the sake of wife and family, a settler in North- 
ern Minnesota should locate on a road and not too 
far from neighbors. 

Land should be seen before it is bought. The 
entire tract should be examined deliberately, and, if 
possible, settlers should be talked with before a 
purchase is made. Soil conditions should be thor- 
oughly understood, and muskeg or undecayed peat 
lands should be avoided. 

Too much land should not be bought. Eighty 
acres in the cut-over district make a good farm for 
a man and the average family, with some boys to 



MINNESOTA 

















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Sheep thrive in every section of the State 



help. If there is no help available except the set- 
tler's own labor, and funds are limited, forty acres 
will be found enough. Of course, if funds are avail- 
able to do so without crippling the working capital, 
a farm of 160 acres or more should be secured. The 
original purchase price is only a small part of the 
cost of the improved farm. 

Removal to the new location in the spring so as to 
get ready for the coming winter is preferable. Only 
a very small amount of stock should be brought — 
two, three, or four good milking cows, one team of 
horses, a brood sow, a few chickens, but usually no 
young stock. 

When one is located, he should visit his new neigh- 
bors, ask questions, and observe methods. 

A settler should also become acquainted with the 
county agricultural agent, who is usually a most 
dependable source of real information. 

Potatoes and vegetables of all kinds for the home 
cellar, and plenty of feed, especially roughage, for 
the stock for the winter, should be the crops the first 
year on a new cut-over farm. 

Some new settlers prefer to spend the summer or 
fall before moving to the new farm in opening land 



for the next season's crop. If this has been done, a 
well drained and well worked location should be 
selected for a garden, and sufficient potatoes, carrots, 
beets, cabbages, squash, cauliflower, onions, rad- 
ishes, lettuce, and other vegetables for the summer's 
use and the winter's supply should be put in. 

A half-acre or more of rutabagas should be put in 
for winter feed. Best results are secured if they are 
planted in rows from 24 to 30 inches apart and 
thinned to 10 or 12 inches apart in the rows. 

A pasture should be opened by clearing away the 
brush, and logs. This should be disked or in some 
way worked up among the stumps, and a little 
clover, timothy, and blue grass should be sown. 

If enough land is open, and a market is near, a 
small field of potatoes should be put in. The cash 
income from the potatoes in the fall will be much 
appreciated, and if well tended a small field should 
bring good returns. 

It is not always best to wait till the stumps are 
removed before getting a crop on the ground. Often 
the brush can be cut, the logs picked up and burned, 
and a good crop secured among the stumps. This is 
especially true of hay and pasture crops. 



M INNESOT A 



Jl^ 




The never failing source of a nioiulily income 



ISSUED BY 



United States Railroad Administration 
AGRICULTURAL SECTION 



J. L. EDWARDS, Manager 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 

FOR THE USE OF ALL RAILROADS 
IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA 

For Further Information, address 



i 



UBRARY OF CONGRESS 



003 00610^ 




